phipps



(No Model.)

w. PHIPPS.

BASKET.

Patented Feb. 28,1882.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFieE.

WILLIAM PHIPPS, on NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,236, dated February28, 1882,

0 Application filed January 12, 1882. (No model.)

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PHIPPS, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baskets,fully described and represented in the following specification and theaecom pan yin g drawings, forming a part of the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in meat-baskets; and it consistsin the construction herein shown and described.

In the drawings annexed, Figure 1 is a plan of a basket constructed withmy improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is aside view. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a corner bracket or brace.Fig. 5 is a plan showing an alternative mode of construction for thestiffening-bars, and Fig. 6 is a view of a detail of the invention.

The class of baskets to which my invention relates consist in areceptacle of rectangular form and exceptional weight and strength, the

smallest baskets of the kind weighing about eight pounds, and thelargest ones being adapted to carry half a ton of meat at once.

Various devices have been employed to stiffen the rim of the receptacleby which the weight is supported when the basket is lifted, among othersthe wrapping of the frame with hoop-iron,.instead of the splintsemployed in lighter baskets.

All the devices heretofore used have failed in durability, because theinner and outer bands composing the rim have never been drawn togetherby the means employed with sufficient force, and have thus failed toclamp the upper ends of the splints of which the sides or body of thebasket was composed. The various bindings of wood and iron and theinsertion of nails through the entire rim have proved ineffective inclamping the body between the inner and outer bands of the rim, becauseby its construction each band was first fitted to the body loosely, andwas prevented from moving freely toward the other whenever its ends werecovered by the binding or penetrated by a nail. It is obvious that inorder to clamp the body firmly the inner hoop must be expanded or theouter one contracted, and that neither could yield in the requiredmanner after its ends had been fastened and the dimensions of the bandthus To overcome these diffiening-bar to each of the sides or ends ofthe basket,in'side the frame, and clamp the bar and top frame togetherwith rivets and burrs. When using the stiffening-bars upon two oppositesidesof the frame only I insert them before riveting in a peculiarmanner, so as to clamp those sides of the frame to which the bars arenot applied.

The nature ofmyimprovemen ts will be understood by reference to thedrawings, in which- A is the body of the basket, composed of splintsaa,woven together in the ordinary manner.

B is the band usually applied to the top edge of the basket upon theoutside; 0, the hand applied to the inside.

D are the stiffening-bars, shown applied to the two long sides of thebasket in Fig. 1 and one of the legs of the bracket, and carried downthe sides and under the bottom, so as to materially support the latter.Two such straps are shown in Figs. 1 and 3 at the two ends of thebasket, and when the bottom is provided with cleats, extending from endto end, in'the usual manner, it is obvious that-such straps tend tosupport the whole bottom as it rests upon the cleats.

To secure afirm hold upon the top frame,the straps are shown in Fig. 2as folded over the top edge of the body A and inner band, C, and thebent end turned down inside the basket and secured to the" band outsidethe body by rivets e.

If preferred,the end may be passed through some opening in the splintsand riveted directly to the strap, as shown at e in Fig. 6.

The corner-brackets are applied to theframe to make the latter morerigid, and consist of bent or cast angle-pieces, secured in the cor-11ers by rivets 0, having burrs (I placed over their ends beforeriveting, to secure a more durable hold upon the wood and to extend thebearing of the point over as great a surface as the head.

The stifi'ening-bars D are preferably inserted into the frame after theouter band,B, isjoined' at its ends, so as to be firm and unchangeableas to its size, and the inside frame has been loosely fitted to the bodyand placed with it inside the outer band. The inner band, beingunavoidably made with one or two splices, s, is capable of more or lessexpansion under pressure; and to join it strongly against the outerbandbefore riveting, and thus clamp the body firmly between the two, I makethe stiffening-bars D quite long, so that they have to be inserteddiagonally, as shown in dotted lines at D in Fig. 5, and force them bystrong pressure into their destined place. When fitting bars to the foursides, as shown in Fig. 5, I force two of them into their place first,as the long side ones, and then force the others between them at theends, so as to press them out strongly. When thus braced the basket maybe finished without any separate inside band, as O, the four bars beinga substitute for it of very superior strength.

When ready for riveting the frame is clamped in a vise to press thecombined parts into the closest contact, and the rivets Z) are theninserted in holes drilled in the frameand secured permanently in theirplaces by burrs b and by heading over the ends. By such construction aframe almost as strong as iron is produced, but of convenient lightness,and so attached to the body of the basket as to remain firm so long asthe body lasts. By the addition ofthe corner-brackets greater firmnessand durability are secured in the larger baskets, and the lateral partsare rigidly joined to the ends.

I am aware that nails have been driven through the frame of abasketandclinched; but the function of such nails is different from that of therivets I use, both in respect to the hearing secured by the head andburr of the rivet upon the wood and their power to retain the parts insuch close contact as I secure by my method of manufacture beforeapplying the rivets.

If nails are inserted in the holes I provide for the rivets, and areclinched in the ordinary manner, they are soon pulled out by theexpansion of the wood to the shape it held before clamping in the vise.

By the ordinary mode of manufacture nails are often inserted in framescomposed of two bands separated quite a considerable space more than thethickness of the body to be clamped. It results that no grasp is hadupon the body, which soon tears away from the nails, while my frame isheld permanently clamped upon the upper edge of the body by the rivetsheld in place by their burrs.

It will be seen from the above that the stiffening-bars, held, asdescribed, by the rivets, form the essential feature of the invention,and that I also use them at pleasure by a peculiar mode of fitting topress the parts of the frame into close mutual contact to grasp the rimof the body.

I therefore claim my invention in the following manner:

1. In a meat-basket, the combination of the body A, band B, andstifiening-bars D, secured to the said band and body by rivets b andburrs b, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with the body A and band B, of four stifiening-bars,D, cut and forcedinside the bandin the manner described, and secured tothe band and body by rivets b and hurts I), as herein shown anddescribed.

3. In combination with the body A, band B, attached to its upper edge,and corner-brackets E, secured to the inner or outer corners asdescribed, the strap F, secured to the corners of the basket andextended to or under the bottom, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesscs.

WILLIAM PHIPPS.

Witnesses:

(J. G. HERRIeK, WM. F. D. CRANE.

